And so the little ball of fluff took over
by skag trendy
Summary: Continued from 'All it took was a ball of fluff'.


**And so the little ball of fluff took over...**

**Continued from 'All it took was a ball of fluff'.**

They never found the owner, the town people had shaken their heads in denial, and Dean stared at the homeless little puppy with a sense of sadness.

It gazed back at him... and licked his chin.

_No one wanted you? Seriously?_

That seemed unlikely. It was clearly a pedigree retriever, expensive and head strong, a beautiful example of his breed.

It was hard to imagine anyone would let him go so easy...

That was until Dean caught sight of a dirty grey trench coat from the corner of his eye, saw the easy yet determined nod, and caved...

Next thing he knew, he was handing the little bundle over to his kid brother and smiling broadly.

"Guess he's ours now, Sammy."

And, in spite of all his doubts and worries, that dimpled smile, the eyes filling with absolute life, assured Dean it was all worth it...

&

_Six months later..._

Gunner _the second_, lips parted by the wind, was gleefully snuffling out of the Impala's rear passenger window.

Sam couldn't help grinning. The dog's ears flared in the breeze, eliciting a delighted _waffling_ from deep inside the pup's throat.

_Pup._

That made Sam laugh, but also made him appreciate, just a little, why his big brother never could accept that little brother had grown up.

Already, the pup was full sized and still growing. An excellent hunting dog, and an early warning system to rival that of Dean's EMF meter, the brothers were beginning to wonder how they'd ever managed without him.

His appetite was voracious but picky. He turned his snout up at the usual dog food, and wolfed down burgers instead, loved nothing more than a saucer of beer, and was a great hit with the ladies.

Pool nights, he was invaluable. Running around and making a fuss of Dean's opponents, putting them off their game with his cute doggy need for cuddles.

Sam had stared at the dog good naturedly on more than one occasion and muttered "You're just a big a fraud as us, mutt!" And then instantly rubbed the dog's offered belly, and scratched behind his ears.

All that earned him was an affectionate lick to the nose, and the pup ran off again.

Sam had many a night when he stagger back to the motel, with his bro leaning heavily on his shoulder, and a weaving dog, yelping loudly to Dean's drunken rendition of "Baby can I hold you tonight."

No motel would turn them away. Once or twice, a brother – usually Sam – would pretend to be blind, but Gunner wasn't quite so cooperative, almost as though he disapproved of their lies. But he had his own charms, and quickly worked his way in.

Even the staunchest health and safety worshiper just didn't stand a chance when hit with Gunner's puppy dog eyes.

"Gunner, getcha head back in, ya stupid mutt!" But Dean's tone suggested he was more than amused by the pup's enthusiasm. "Just one lamp post and you're... uh... _headless_!"

Gunner rewarded him for a few spare moments by clambering across the seat, leaping over the seat backs and burying his tail in Sam's face. Confident that the little brother of his two masters was firmly assured of his place, _and safe_, Gunner swiftly swiped his tongue across Dean's ear.

"Ewwwww!" Dean flinched, and spared Sam a disgusted glare when the kid sniggered around a mouthful of dog hair. "One more time, Sam! Just one more time and that dog's gonna end up in a tin of cat food!"

Sam chuckled. "Yeah, 'course!"

He wasn't fooled for a second. Dean loved that dog's antics as much as he did. What Sam couldn't figure out, was what had changed Dean's mind.

But then, Sam didn't know about a certain _conversation..._ back then...

&

_Six months earlier..._

"So," Dean turned, the pup snuggled against his chest. "Wanna tell me what this is all about? Why you're here?"

Castiel tilted his head and gazed at the small, furry creature in Dean's arms.

"He's Gunner."

Dean stared at him. "What?"

Castiel nodded, as though this should have been obvious. "You let him go, but I gave him back."

Dean heard it all in that statement, as bizarre as it was.

"You see... sometimes..." Castiel continued in a soft voice. "We _did _listen..."

_**The End**_

_**Author's Notes: I had to carry this on. Sorry!**_

_**If you want to know what Castiel was talking about when he said "We did listen" then read "The road to hell" and that might give you an idea of what my lunatic brain is driving at...**_

_**ST xxx**_


End file.
